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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · mouse · game · can · nail · prune · kid · spell

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. kid — to tease
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. can — to be able to
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. can — a tin
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. game — a match
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com